By Rebecca Frankel
Best Defense chief canine correspondent
An army sergeant in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps was awarded
an MBE -- Member of the Order of the British Empire -- last week for her work
as a dog handler detecting bombs in Helmand Provence and for, "Always keeping a
cool head and demonstrating unwavering bravery. ... Wilson pushed herself and
her dog to the limits of endurance ... saving countless lives in the
process."
But Wilson was quick to share the commendation with her partner, a
two-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malanois, saying that their work is a
"team effort."
Her dog's name? Obama.
Curiously, neither Wilson or the British press (at least the articles I read) made no
comment on the dog's name or his namesake. They did, however, report that
Wilson remembered Cpl. Liam Tasker, a handler, who was shot and killed in
Afghanistan last spring. He and his working dog Theo, who died shortly
thereafter, had set the record for uncovering IEDs.
Wilson, who did three tours in Afghanistan doing the intense and dangerous work
of roadside detection, remarked that Tasker's death left an impact on her team.
"We are all very close, so what happened affected everyone. Unfortunately jobs
have to be done and we all had to carry on."
Obama -- the bomb-sniffing dog -- is still on tour in Afghanistan. Wilson, who
already has three other dogs at home, is considering adopting her former
partner when his service is over.
A tip of the WDotW hat to Mr. David Rothkopf
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